Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski celebrates after the match. — Reuters
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick lauded his team's resilience as they rebounded from back-to-back La Liga setbacks with a commanding 3-0 victory over French side Brest in their Champions League encounter on Tuesday. Flick expressed concern over his team's recent form after failing to secure a win in their last two La Liga matches, but he was thrilled with the response from his players.
"Very happy. We deserved it, winning by three goals but we could have scored more," Flick told Movistar Plus. "But I'm happy either way because delivering a performance like this after (a 2-2 draw at Celta) Vigo (on Saturday) is just great."
Flick commended Barca striker Robert Lewandowski, who netted twice to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only players to reach 100 goals in the competition. However, Flick emphasized the importance of the team's collective effort.
"Lewandowski is great, I'm delighted with his goals. I think Lewandowski knows he has to score and he is in the position to do it, but the important thing is what the team generates," Flick said. "Obviously, he knows he has to score and he plays for it, but what this team does is just wonderful."
Lewandowski opened the scoring after being fouled by goalkeeper Marco Bizot and converting from the spot in the 10th minute, marking his 100th Champions League goal. Despite missing injured teenage winger Lamine Yamal, Barca dominated the match, creating 19 scoring opportunities against a side that failed to register a shot on target.
However, the hosts squandered several chances to extend their lead and were nearly caught out by a couple of counterattacks before Dani Olmo secured their second goal with a solo effort. Lewandowski sealed the win in added time with a precise finish from Alejandro Balde's assist.
"I'm very happy, very happy. 101 goals in the Champions League is a great number," Lewandowski told Movistar Plus. "I didn't think I could score so many goals in the Champions League. To join Messi and Ronaldo ... I guess they are good, right?"
Tuesday's victory propelled Barca to second place in the 36-team Champions League table with 12 points from five games, trailing Inter Milan by one point and level with third-placed Liverpool, who host Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Despite their struggles in the domestic league, Barca leads LaLiga by four points over Real Madrid, who have a game in hand. "We haven't been playing well in La Liga lately, but we have a lot of games to play yet. We just have to be patient, we'll score more goals in the end," added Lewandowski.
At 36, Lewandowski has been in exceptional form this season, netting 22 goals in 19 games across all competitions for Barcelona.
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